Combined telephone and fire-alarm system.



Patented May 1 2, 1903;

ATE EFICE.

WILLIAM LIVINCsTON DENIO, OF ROCHESTER, N w YO K, ASsICNOR OF ONE-HALFTO HOBART F. ATKINSON, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

COMBINED TELEPHONEAND FIRE-ALARM SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 728,161, dated May 12,1903. Application filed May 9, 1902. Serial No. 106,608. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM LIVINGSTON DENIO, a resident of Rochester,in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in a Combined Telephone and Fire-Alarm Systom;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to combined telephone and fire-alarm systems, theformer being of the type having the source ofelectric energy for thesystem at the central section or exchange.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a telephone systemwith central of- {fice and subscribers connections and combinedtherewith fire-alarm devices and conq nections. stat suitable for use inthe fire-alarm circuit.

Fig. 2 is a side view of a thermo- For simplicity of illustration butone tele: phone-line is fully shown, this being an allwire circuit 1 2,connected at one end to a central-office switchboard. (Indicated by thespring-jacks 3 3 3 Circuit-wires 1 2 OfAthemetallic circuit areconnected at the exchange to light circuit making and breaking armatures4 4, which are normally held bysprings '5 against contacts 6 6, to whichare connected the terminals of the central storage battery 7 or othercentral source of electricity. In one of these connections is aline-relay magnet 8, the armature 9 of which is normally retracted by aspring from a contact 10 in a branch circuit from the central-stationbattery, including a visual signal, as an incandescent lamp 12,connected to one terminal of the.

storage battery, the armature being connected to the opposite terminalof the battery by a wire 13. Between armatures 4 4 is a magnet 14, thecoil of which is connected to one of the battery-terminals and also to acontact 15 adjacent to the springs of the springjack of the subscribersline on the switchboard, so as to be connected to the jack and thence tothe battery by a switch-plug 16 when inserted in the jack. There isonelinerelay and one signal-lamp for each telephonecircuit. Spring-jack 3indicates the switchboard connection of another subscriber, theconnections being the same asthose of the circuit 1 2, alreadydescribed. 3? is a springjack of the switchboard, the line of which issupposed to lead to the fire-department telephone. Toward the oppositeend of the circuit 1 2 from the central exchange are one or moresubscriberstelephones 17 17, which are supplied with current whenrequired from the common central-oflice battery 7.

From the telephone-terminal 18 extends a wire 19 to bell 20,"condenser21, to the opposite side of the circuit, and to a metal base connection21, to escapemnt device 22, contact spring or. arm 23, screw 24, carriedby the spring and resting against the free end of arn125, the Oppositeend being pivoted on an insulating-block 26, the arm being normallysupported on the upper end of the lockingarmature 27 of the trippingdevice. 28 indicates an insulating-block on the armature to limit theswingfof the escapement when the latter'is released and free to swing.From arm 25 extends a wire to magnet 29, thence to switch 30.

Normally the subscribers receiver rests on the hook-switch separatingthe switch-contacts 30 of the telephone-circuit. Hence the bell andcondenser 21 form the only normally operative path between thecircuit-wires 1 2, and this connection is Operative for alternating orpulsatingcurrents, but not for continuous currents, on account of thecondenser which interrupts the metallic continuity of the circuit.

When a subscriber removes his receiver from the hook, the centralexchange is automatically notified thereof by the lighting and steadyshining of the corresponding switchboard or annunciator lan1p12, thecircuits-being as follows: from one terminal of the telephone set 17 toline 1, spring 4, contact 6, storage battery 7,"magnet 8, lower contact6, spring 4, wire 2 to the second terminal of the subscribers telephone,and through usual or suitable connections in the telephone apparatus.vention are merely indicated by the switchcontacts 30 and the pivotedtelephone sup- Such connections not being of my in- I porting and switchhook. The exchange-signal-lamp circuit from battery 7 is closed byarmature-0 moving to contact 10. If there is but one subscriber on theline, the operator knows at once who removed his telephone; but if thereare two or more subscribers on the same line the operator has to firstask who is calling.

The escapement mentioned controls the rotation of signal-wheel 31,having grouped contact teeth or parts 32 and adjacent to which is acooperating circuit opening and closing spring 33, which is connected toswitch 34:, thence by wire 35 to the second terminal of the subscriberstelephone. This completes the normal fire alarm connection of subscriberNo. 1 to the telephone line and exchange.

From switch 30 wire 36 leads around through the subscribers building orthrough any desired district and back to switch 30, thus forming acomplete loop at the end of bellwire 19. A break in the wire of the loopat any one point or at a point in each loop would not interfere with thesending of a signal, which would be transmitted from either side of thebreak. This is important in order to avoid having the alarm becomeinoperative by accidental breaking of the thermostatic line at one pointor even at several points.

From switch 34, by which the transmitter can be cut out, a second loop37 extends parallel to the first loop, and at desired points connectedbetween the wires of the two loops are thermostatic circuit-controllers38, adapted to change the condition of the fire-alarm circuit byconnecting the two loops on a predetermined rise in temperature neareither of the thermostats.

The thermostats between the described loops may eachconsist of aninsulating-plug, with screws 3S and washers 33 by which the loop-wiresmay be clamped one at each end of the plug. On the plug is aconducting-spring 38 normally shortened by being compressed, so as to beshorter than the distance between the washers. The turns of the springwhen thus compressed are held together by a solder 38 or materialfusible at a definite temperature, which may be called the danger-point.When the solderfuses, the coils of the spring expand against the washersand connect the two thermostatic circuit-loops. I do not limit myself tothe use of this form of thermostat. The circuit thus closed is asfollows: battery 7, wire 1, wire 35 to loop-wire 37, through the closedthermostat to loop-wire 36, to magnet 29, arm 25,screw24:,escapement-arm 23 to 2l,thro ugh ,bell to wire 2, spring t, magnet8, back to battery. The circuit includes trippiugmiagnet 29, which byattracting its armature, and thus allowing arm to drop outof the path ofscrew 24, breaks the fire alarm circuit above traced and also releasesthe automatic transmitting-wheel, which by rotating under influence of amotor, as weight W, makes and breaks the fire-alarm connection, (whichnow extends from wire to spring 33, to Wheel 31 when a tooth touches thespring, from wheel 31 to 21, to bell 20, to exchange, to battery 7, backto branch 35,) according to the number and arrangement of teeth on thesignal-Wheel, thus correspondingly lighting and extinguishing-that is,flashing-the linelamp at the exchange-switchboard, thus giving theoperator the subscribers fire-call. At the same time the current and thelight are vibrated by the operation of the vibratory bell.

The use of a circuit-cl1angingsignal bell or device common to thetelephone-circuit and to the fire-alarm circuit makes it unnecessary toprovide a separate piece of apparatus in the fire-alarm circuit toaccomplish a similar result-that is, to vibrate the exchangesignal-receiver.

By the term vibratory hell or signal is meant one which in operationmakes and breaks orotherwise changes the circuit. The operation would bethe same had the firealarm circuit been closed at the manual streetbox39.

On receipt of a fire-alarm the exchange operator shouldimmediatelyinform the fire department of a fire at this subscribersbuilding. He should then inform the subscriber, who might be ignorant ofthe fire, especially if the alarm had been sent by operation of athermostat.

The telephone devices at the subscribers station do not have to bemodified to allow the combination therewith of the fire-alarm.

The subscribers vibratory alarm bell or device gives the alarm at thesubscribers building. It also causes the light of the corresponding lampat the exchange to vibrate, thus instantlyindicating a call of adifferent character from that made by taking down the subscriberstelephone-receiver. This makes it impossible by manipulating thetelephoneswitch to give a false fire-alarm, as the appearance of thelight at the exchange would be different.

I do not limit myself to the use of a single manual or street box 39 formanually connecting the loops. Several such boxes may be distributedthrough the subscribers building on the different floors or otherwise.One switch 40 is a manual test-switch, by manipulation of which at anytime it Willappear whether the circuits are in working order. The formof switch used here and in the alarm-box is immaterial; but the oneshown has a spring-pressed rod with a block adapted to enter between andconnect the separated contacts 41 when the switch is pulled. The switchin box 39 may be of the same construction as switch 40.

As already described, the two groups of three and four teeth each on thetransmitterwheel send the fire-alarm. After the last group is acomparatively long space, then a single tooth. This serves to signal theexchange that it is subscriber No. 1 on that line whose fire-alarm isoperating. At the apparatus of subscriber No. 2 on the same line therewould be two of the subscribers number-teeth, and so on for succeedingsubscribers. If the subscribers on a common or party line are designatedas A B, &c., then one tooth would indicate subscriber A, two teethsubscriber B, &c. If there is but one subscriber on a line, no suchextra teeth are required.

My system is also intended to include a burglar-alarm so arranged thatwhen said burglar-alarm is energized the resultant signal received atthe central station will be different from either the fire-alarm ortelephone signals and readily recognized as a burglar-alarm signal. Toeffect this result, I provide a conveniently-arranged burglaralarmcircuit 42, having usual normally open circuit-closers 43, and suitablyconnect said burglar-alarm circuit in the systemas, for example, to thethermostat-circuit at 44. The burglar-circuit includes a relay-magnet45, the core of which is a permanent magnet of sufficient strength tohold armature 46 when attracted thereto,but not of sufficientstrength toattract such armature. The operation of magnet45 through conductors 47and 48 shortcircuits the vibratory alarm-bell 20, as Will be evident.From the description of the burglaralarm circuit it will be seen thatcontact of the circuit-closers 43 energizes said circuit attractingarmature 46 to magnet 45, shortcircuiting the vibratory alarm-bell 20,and energizes the fire-alarm circuit and sending to the central stationthe signal corresponding to the teeth on wheel 31; but as the vibratoryalarm-bell is short-circuited the burglaralarm signal will lack theintermittent flashes of the fire-alarm signal due to such vibratoryalarm-bell. It will be noted that immedi-. ately magnet 29 inv thefire-alarm circuit is deenergized by tripping device 25 theburglar-alarm circuit is also without energy, and hence the signal,which has been electrically started, is operated byv theweightirrespective of the energy in the initial circuit and cannot beinterfered with by simultaneous operation of the burglar-alarmcircuitper se, it being understood that the permanent magnet 45 willhold armature 46 to shunt bell 2O irrespective of the energy in theburglar-alarm circuit.

From the above-described system it will be noted. that the centralstation receives a signal from the telephone-circuit, the fire-alarmcircuit, and the burglar-alarm circuit, and that each of these signalsis readily distinguishable one from the other, and that it is impossiblefrom the manipulation of one circuit to send the signal of either of theother circuits. Therefore I regard as within the scope of my inventionall such means for accomplishin g this purpose as would permit theobvious advantages and results outlined above.

The short circuit extendsfrom point 19 at one side of the bell to thearmature of magnet 45, the front contact to the wire on the other sideof the bell.

I claim- 1. The combination of a normally open telephone-circuit, asubscribers call-bell therefor, an automatic fire-alarm transmitter, inthe telephone-circuit, and a signal-receiving lamp at the centralstation adapted to receive the signals from the telephone or fire-alarmcircuits, said telephone call-bell being energized in the operation ofthe fire-alarm circuit to vary the fire-signal at the central exchangefrom the telephone-signal.

2. The combination of a normally open metallic telephone-circuitdisconnected from the ground, a source of electric current at a centralexchange for said. circuit, a'vibratory circuit-changing subscribersbell therefor, an automatic fire-alarm transmitter connected with themetallic non-grounded telephonecircuit and depending on said exchangesource of current, and a signal-receiving lamp at'such exchange, saidtelephone callbell being energized in the operation of the fire-alarmcircuit to vary the fire-signal at the central exchange from thetelephonesignal.

3. The combination of a telephone-circuit, a vibratory alarm therefor,an automatic firealarm transmitter in the telephone-circuit, aburglar-alarm circuit, a signal-lamp at a central exchange, and means toenergize said lamp to show varying signals under the respectiveinfluence of the telephone-circuit, the fire-alarm circuit, and theburglar-alarm circuit.

4. The combination of a telephone-circuit, a vibratory call-belltherefor, an automatic fire-alarm transmitter for the telephone-circuit,said call-bell being in the fire-alarm circuit, a burglar-alarm circuit,a signal-lamp at a central exchange adapted to be differently energizedunder the influence of the fire-alarm, telephoneor' burglar-alarm cir-'cuits, and means operated by the burglaralarm circuit for shunting thecall-bell.

5. The combination of a telephone-circuit, a vibratory call-belltherefor, an automatic fire-alarm transmitter for the telephone-circuit,said call-bell being in the fire-alarm circuit, a burglar-alarm circuit,a signal-lamp at a central exchange adapted to be diiferently energizedunder influence of the firealarm, telephone or burglar-alarm circuits,and a magnet in the burglar-alarm circuit for shunting the vibratorycall-bell.

6. The combination with a signal-lampat a central exchange, of an opentelephone-circuit designed to steadily light said lamp when operated, afire-alarm transmitter in the telephone-circuit designed to energizesaid lamp in a series of predetermined signals, means in said circuit tovibrate each of the firealarm signals at the signal-lamp, and aburglar-alarm in circuit and designed to energize the lamp with thefire-alarm signals, and a magnet in the burglar-alarm circuit for short-I specification in the presence of two subscrib circuiting the vibratorysignaling means in ing witnesses.

the fire-alarm circuit, whereby the signallampis energized by thetelephone, fire-alarm VILLIAM LIVINGSTON DENIO' 5 and burglar-alarmcircuits in varying and Witnesses:

readily-distinguished signals. H. E. BALL,

In testimony whereof I have signed this A. S. CAMPBELL.

